Always
by fanficchica123
Summary: Summer wakes up in the middle of the night due to thoughts of the Black Ranger and finds that the man in question is unable to sleep due to the same problem.


**Always**

**AN: So this was my very first story and I'm glad to see that it's still a favourite of my readers. I just edited this because of some mistakes and my own horrendous style of writing… Glad you are all enjoying! :D Don't forget to review! **

**Disclaimer: Trust me, if I owned it; all my OTP's would be ravaging each other in closets**

_Ooo_

Blue eyes scanned the empty hallway before the woman slowly made her way down the stairs and into the kitchenette of the Garage. The room was dimly lit by the blinking monitor screens that covered the walls, statistics of the Rangers suits and Zords flitting across. Zipping up her yellow jacket, Summer set about making herself a cup of hot chocolate, hoping that this would urge her body to sleep and stop the flashbacks from the day's events.

_***FLASHBACK***_

"_Why_ are you always trying to save me?" Dillon yelled at her, his brown eyes gleaming in the fire.

"Because you're worth saving!" Summer yelled back. The words, '_And because I love you!' _was left unsaid. The blonde squashed the thought deep down. At this point of time, they needed to get out alive from the burning factory, not concentrate about her growing attraction to the Black ranger.

But even as she searched for a way out of the factory, Summer's mind was plagued with thoughts of Dillon and how she fervently wished he would get it through his thick, egotistical, beautiful brown covered head that they all cared about him, especially her.

Summer took one step towards what looked like an exit before a large metal beam fell in front of her and she let out a yelp as Dillon's arm pulled her back against his own body. Just as she thought that things couldn't get any worse (which in hindsight was a stupid thing to think; they were Power Rangers: things _always_ got worst), another burning beam fell behind them, effectively sealing both exits and their way out.

They were both breathing heavily and suddenly, Summer was _very_ aware of the fact that she was still flush against Dillon's body with his arm around her waist protectively.

She froze as the man whispered, "Looks like neither of us are leaving."

Summer turned to face Dillon and looked him in the eyes. The brown orbs were filled with fear, uncertainty and something else and the blonde realized that both of them were slowly leaning towards each other. His eyes closed just as their noses touched, but before their lips could make contact, a great volley of water fell from the ceiling, thoroughly soaking the factory and them.

The two jumped apart, spluttering and wiping the water from their eyes before laughing. Summer couldn't help but smile at the sound of Dillon's laughter as their faces came close again. But just as before, they were interrupted by Gem and Gemma's, "A flying whale!" "Now that's something you don't see every day!"

Dillon flinched away from her and Summer was saddened to see his eyes harden again. As much as she loved the twins, the blonde couldn't help but be angry at the two. SHE HAD ALMOST KISSED DILLON FOR GOD'S SAKE! They couldn't have freaked about the stupid flying whale two minutes later?!

She was interrupted mid internal rant when Dillon yelled, "There's nothing here! It's another dead end!"

Summer wanted to comfort him but knowing that it would be rejected, she turned away. That's when her eyes caught something glinting on the floor. "Wait!" She called out to the three of them as she bent and picked up the piece of silver. On a metal chain, hung a tiny key, identical to the one that Dillon wore. "There's this." She whispered, holding it out to the elder man.

Dillon took out his own key from around his neck and let a small smile grace his face as he replied, hope colouring his tone for the first time, "My sister."

_***END FLASHBACK***_

'Gah, stupid drink doesn't even help." Summer snarled under her breath as her mind paused their thoughts. Groaning, she poured the rest of the sweet drink down the sink and rubbed her face.

After coming back to the Garage, the other Rangers had gone off to do their own jobs and Dillon sat in his car, playing with the two keys and his watch. They all went to bed six hours later but Summer hadn't been able to sleep.

Grumbling to herself, the blonde made her way back up the stairs, pausing when she was outside Dillon's room. She wanted nothing more than to go in there and talk to him, to try and sort out her jumbled thoughts. But just as her hand touched the doorknob, she pulled it away. Dillon was probably asleep and would definitely not appreciate the fact that she woke him up for her hormonal problems.

Shaking her head, the ranger turned away from the door and walked down the hallway when she heard a whimper. She paused in her tracks with an eyebrow raised, wondering if she'd just imagined the noise. Shrugging her shoulders, Summer walked towards her room but she then she heard a strangled cry from the very room she was walking away from. The blonde immediately turned on her heel and running towards the black door, she wrenched it open without a thought and ran inside only to be frozen by what she saw.

Dillon was tangled up in his blankets as he cried and thrashed around on the bed as though being held against his will and his next cry made Summer jolt out of her trance and run to him. She shook his shoulder, "Dillon! Wake up! You're okay! It's okay! I'm here!"

His shaking shoulders made her hand slip and it found purchase on Dillon's neck. That only seemed to aggravate the man and he caught Summer's hand and twisted hard. It was the blonde's cry of pain that made Dillon's eyes flash open and he shot up with a gasp. His eyes flew all around the room until they landed on Summer and his features frowned in confusion.

"Summer? What are doing-"

"Dillon, my hand." Summer winced and Dillon let go of her with a horrified look on his face.

"Shit, I'm so sorry. I didn't know what I was-"

Summer immediately shushed him, "It's okay. You were having a nightmare."

"Yeah. Sorry, if I woke you. And that I hurt you."

"Not like you woke me up on purpose. Besides, I couldn't sleep anyway. I was…preoccupied."

Dillon didn't seem to register her words. Instead he rubbed a hand over his face and stared down at his sheets. Summer stood still for a moment, not really sure about what she should do. It didn't feel right to just leave the man there, looking so lost.

So the Yellow Ranger took a deep breath and tentatively sat on the bed, "I know you don't like doing this but um…do you want to talk about it? "

She was so used to Dillon refusing help that she felt her eyes widen when he nodded his head. Pushing his blankets out of the way, Dillon flicked on the table lamp, bathing the room in warm yellow light and giving Summer her first good look at room and at the man himself.

Tousled hair and red eyes was the first thing she saw before her eyes moved down his body. His lean, muscular frame was clothed in black sweats and a white tanktop. And then, Summer realised that Dillon was looking at her as well.

Feeling slightly self-conscious, she played with the zip of her jacket before looking down at her own clothes. She had worn white shorts, a yellow tank top to bed and her hair was up in a messy bun. When she looked up again, Dillon had grabbed a bottle of water from the table and had pulled the blanket back around him.

"So what happened?" She asked quietly.

Taking a deep breath, Dillon began to speak. "We were in the Wastelands, fighting grinders and Tenaya 7 and…we were losing. Every time we destroyed one wave of grinders and bots, another ten would take its place. We were all hurt and then suddenly, we were all back in the Dome but people were yelling and running away from us. And I realized that we were all hybrids."

"I could hear Venjix in my head, telling us to go to the Garage and when we got there, K was in the lab looking so damn scared and he told us…he told us to kill her. And we did. Ziggy did anyways. He picked her up by the throat and threw her against the wall like a ragdoll and then- he just _shot_ her."

Summer caught Dillon's hand, feeling her heart clench at the horrible dream. Dillon squeezed her hand and continued, "I tried to stop him but Scott got hold of me and threw me down. And then Venjix ordered you; he took _your_ name specifically- he ordered you to kill me because I was defective. The guys held me down and I begged you to remember that you were my friend but then I felt your hand choke me and I just _freaked_. And then I heard you cry out and I woke up to see you here."

Summer couldn't speak. It seemed as though her vocal chords were frozen. But when she felt one of his tears splash onto her arm, she cradled his cheek into the palm of her hand and spoke firmly, "Dillon, I would rather die than do _anything_ to hurt you. I lo- care about you too much to do that."

Yes, she loved him but now was not the time for _that_ issue to come up. Dillon needed her comfort not her attraction. Thankfully, he didn't notice her slip up and nodded as he sighed and said, "I know Summer. I just...I just felt as though as I was losing my family one by one. First my sister and then you guys. I couldn't handle that."

"You consider us your family?" the blonde asked in surprise. Dillon was never one for affection and this was the first time he had ever admitted to having feelings other than anger and hate.

"Yeah, you guys are my family. Well, the only family I know and have right now."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me...to us. I hope you know that we feel the same about you too."

Dillon gave her a small smile, "I do. Thanks Summer."

Summer patted his arm and stood up, "Try to get some sleep all right?"

But when she turned around, Dillon spoke again, "That's not the only reason I was scared."

Summer said nothing but sat down again. She took hold of Dillon's hand again and looked at him, "What's wrong?"

Dillon took a deep breath and spoke softly, "I was afraid that you would never know how I felt about you. It hurt because I- I loved you and you were the one killing me."

Something left his chest as the words spilled from Dillon's mouth. Yes, he loved Summer and honestly, how could he not? She had stood by him from the moment he had entered Corinth and slowly he began to fall for her. The Black Ranger hadn't planned on saying anything, but after his nightmare and realising how possible it was that he could lose her, Dillon felt that Summer just had to know. Now he had to wait for was her reaction.

Summer felt her entire being stiffen and her eyes widened. Dillon loved her? Holy _shit_- DILLON LOVED HER! She couldn't believe it. "You love me? Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded in disbelief.

"Because you love Scott." He replied.

Summer felt her retort die on her lips and then she threw back her head and laughed. Dillon whipped his head up and said angrily, "It's not funny Summer."

"Yes it is." She replied, still chortling.

Dillon's voice was hard, "How?"

"Because I don't love Scott. I love him as a brother, a friend and a team mate. But there is someone I am _in_ love with."

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"You" She said simply, a smile spreading across her face. "And I didn't tell you because I thought you wanted to be friends."

And then Dillon smiled, a warm and open gesture that made the blonde's heart soar in elation, "I want to be more than friends Summer. I never said anything because Scott always made it seem that the two of you had something together. But today, at the factory, I thought we were going to so I decided to tell you how I feel but... we were interrupted."

"I was right, you _were_ gonna kiss me!" Summer grinned and she tackled the man with a hug. Dillon laughed and let his arms latch around her waist as her head rested in the crook of his shoulder.

"Yes I was. And I'm about to do it again." Saying so, he cupped her chin and brought their lips together in a clash of teeth. Summer's response was instantaneous. Her hand fisted in his soft hair and pulled him closer to her just as Dillon tightened his grip around her waist. She straddled his hips and bit down on the man's bottom lip, eliciting a growl from the Black Ranger and Summer laughed.

For the second time that night, Dillon gave a genuine smile as he pulled away for air and asked, "Will you stay with me tonight?"

Summer didn't hesitate, "Of course. I just need a few things from my room."

But when she made to move from the bed, Dillon pulled her back. "I'll go get them for you. You can just make yourself _comfortable_." He explained, his eyebrows rising suggestively and voice dropping to a husky whisper on the last word. Summer gasped dramatically and smacked the brunette on her chest, grinning when he grunted in pain.

"What do you need from your room?" he asked, still rubbing her chest. "And damn, you hit hard."

"And don't you forget it, Mr. I'm -So-Tough." Summer laughed as she moved forward and rubbed her hand over his chest. "I need my morpher and a pillow. The morpher's in my bedside drawer."

Nodding, Dillon jumped off the bed and quietly walked out the door. Summer smiled at his retreating figure and shifted to let her eyes scan the room. It wasn't all that different from hers but the beige walls were completely bare, save for a single photo frame near the black curtained windows.

Moving to take a closer look, Summer chuckled when she saw the picture. It was of all the Rangers at one Colonel Truman's conferences. They were all smiling, except for Dillon and Dr. K, who were glaring bloody murder at each other for some reason. Summer shook her head fondly; only Dillon would put up a picture in which someone was not smiling.

Her eyes continued their examination taking in the small wardrobe that graced the wall near what she decided was the bathroom, before landing on the table next the window. On the table lay Dillon's keys, morpher, Ranger jacket, the musical pocket watch and what looked suspiciously like a photo album.

Pulling off her sweater, Summer moved towards the table and picked up the album and opened it to find the same picture on the wall, but now with a caption, '_K and me at it again, cause I called the suits spandex_.'

Summer laughed and turned the next page to find it a solitary shot of Scott with the caption '_Our Big Haired Leader, A Cool Guy_'. Next was Flynn and then was Ziggy, then Dillon, then the twins, Dr. K and then a shot of Summer herself. The caption read, '_A Beautiful Woman, Inside and Out'_.

Summer smiled fondly when she turned to the next and last picture; the whole team, arm in arm and all of them were smiling. Even Dillon and Dr.K. It was titled, '_My Family, The Only I've Ever Known_'.

Suddenly Summer felt someone's arms circle around her waist and Dillon's head rested on her shoulder. "You look beautiful when you smile." He said fondly.

"And you look happy. Which is a reaction that one hardly ever sees on your face." Summer set the album back on the table and turned around in his arms. Pressing a kiss to his lips, the blonde left her morpher on the table and both rangers walked back to the bed.

Dillon pulled Summer close, putting his arms around her while she settled comfortably within his embrace and pulled the blanket over them. When she gave off a yawn, he chuckled and gently kissing her forehead he said, "Get some sleep. We're gonna need all our strength to face Venjix."

"And the rangers.' She added.

"Yup, them too."

The two of them lay side by side for some time, Dillon stroking Summer's hair while softly humming the song from the pocket watch, slowly lulling her to sleep. Just before Summer could let unconsciousness take her over, she spoke softly, sleep colouring her tone, "Dillon?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you." She said simply and then closed her eyes and drifted off.

Dillon smiled down at the blonde in his arms and chastely kissing her head he said, "I love you too Summer. And I will never let anything happen to you. I promise."

_Ooo_

The next morning Dillon woke up disoriented, panicking slightly at the unfamiliar weight on his arm. It was the flash of blonde hair that reminded of the previous night's events and the man remembered how he had told Summer of his love for her, how she had admitted to the same feelings and how they'd fallen asleep together.

Brushing away the hair from her face, Dillon slowly kissed Summer's forehead and tried to move away without waking her. But two years of fighting and training had made the Yellow Ranger someone unable to sneak up on.

Groaning, her blue eyes fluttered open and a smile stretched across her face when she saw Dillon. "Hi."

"Morning. Sleep well?" he asked her.

"Like a baby." The blonde replied, stretching her arms over her head.

"What are we gonna tell the others, Summer? You know, when we walk out of my room?" Dillon asked as he pushed himself up against the headboard.

Summer moved up to place her head on his chest as she said firmly, "The truth. No sense in lying to them."

"Okay. With that out of the way, let's get to the fun part of waking up in each other's arms." Dillon smirked as he moved to kiss Summer properly, but that's when his door burst open and Ziggy ran in, followed by Fynn and Gem.

"Dillon! Summer and...her morpher... are...in..._your_..._room_?!" Ziggy panted out, his eyes wide as saucers.

"Ogden's Beard Dillon! Wha's goin on?" The Scottish man exclaimed, rubbing his fists against his eyes in disbelief like a small child.

Gem (for the first time since they knew him) was completely speechless, eyes staring at the couple on the bed. And then Scott ran in.

Seeing the two on the bed, he took a minute to catch his breath and then said, "I don't care _what_ happened, just as long as the two of you have clothes on under that blanket."

Dillon smirked, "Well I don't have a shirt and Summer doesn't have a..."

"Dillon! Stop that!" The girl in question smacked him on the arm when her male teammates began to splutter.

"Well, we were gonna tell them anyways." Dillon replied with a grin, pulling the blankets away from their bodies, revealing their clothed self, much to the Rangers relief.

"Yes I know that, but they weren't supposed to see us together in your bed, dummy." She admonished the older man as she sat against the headboard and pulled on her jacket, completely ignoring the others in the bedroom.

"I still love you." He said, smiling.

Summer smiled back, "I know. I love you too. And I'll always be there for you."

"I know." And saying so, Dillon kissed her, completely ignoring the splutters and gasps of those in the room.

_Ooo_

**A.N: Please do review or fave me and my story. I'll be putting up more stories regarding different fandoms so please do check out my other fics and hope you enjoy!**

**Don't forget to drop a review! **

and Summer took a deep breath, letting his scent of grease, musk and surprisingly chocolate wash over her.


End file.
